CHECKLISTS

Posted on June 1, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Timothy and Titus – Inconspicuous Leadership

1 Timothy 5 checklistI am a list maker…even in retirement from my secular work. For me, what doesn’t get listed, doesn’t get done. It is also very rewarding for me to check that item off the list when it is accomplished. The list has a progression of priorities. One task cannot happen until another task is completed. And so life goes with my lists guiding my behavior and productivity.

As I journal each morning in my conversational prayer with God, the Father, His Spirit guides me to make another list that helps me to mature and grow in Him. I am convicted of some of those “fruits of the Spirit” that I have not tended to or cultivated, have ignored or left undone. His Holy Spirit redirects my thoughts and helps me form a list of tasks that will help me improve my behavior. “Keep a close check on yourself”, writes Paul to Timothy. For me, that means to make a spiritual checklist that keeps me in close contact with the will and purpose of our Father, God and helps me to grow closer to Him.

We can do nothing of significance without God. I am convinced that He guides us to all things that are good for our growth and aid our learning about Him and how He works. Paul also gives Timothy sound advice about how to treat those whom God has called to lead with character traits with another list of how to lead. This list still applies to us today. The theme of this episode seems to be; Know God, Know Yourself, Know The Message, Know Your Audience. Our deeds, good and bad, will be evident. Be driven by God’s love in us.

1 Timothy 5, The Message

17-18 Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture tells us, “Don’t muzzle a working ox” and “A worker deserves his pay.”

19 Don’t listen to a complaint against a leader that isn’t backed up by two or three responsible witnesses.

20 If anyone falls into sin, call that person on the carpet. Those who are inclined that way will know right off they can’t get by with it.

21-23 God and Jesus and angels all back me up in these instructions. Carry them out without favoritism, without taking sides. Don’t appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don’t want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself. And don’t worry too much about what the critics will say. Go ahead and drink a little wine, for instance; it’s good for your digestion, good medicine for what ails you.

24-25 The sins of some people are blatant and march them right into court. The sins of others don’t show up until much later. The same with good deeds. Some you see right off, but none are hidden forever.

1 Timothy 5 check yourselfLEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE #6: Keep a Close Check on Yourself

Leadership Characteristics –

–Fully rely on God. Trust Him with all you are and all you have. We are His. All we have is His.
–Ask God “if there is anything offensive to you, cleanse me.” as the Psalmist prayed.
–Repent with a heart and mind not wanting to return to the old life.
–Look full into the face of Jesus, our Master, Lord and Savior with laser focus so we know what direction to take next.
–“Keep a close check on yourself.” Avoid, “he did it, I can, too” or “my sin is not as bad as his sin” or “everybody’s doing it” mentality.
–Ask God for wisdom, insight and understanding.
–Allow God’s transformation to continue in our lives.
–Ask God to make your lists of to BE and to DO. HE will prioritize your lists in ways you cannot imagine! Where He guides, He provides help all along the journey.
–Do all in a Spirit of love for God and others.
–Care enough to confront others with God’s love and concern for their spiritual well-being and growth.

Warning   The things on our spiritual check list can never be crossed off because we’ll be working on them our whole lives. By listing we are reminding ourselves of what we need to work on to “keep a close check” on our lives. It is only by The Atonement of Jesus Christ can we accomplish anything of eternal significance.

Dear Heavenly Father,
You have convinced me that we must do spiritual “business” with You each day to improve our being in You. Thank you for helping us on this journey. Thank you for Your Holy Spirit that points out things in our behavior that could cause us to crash…before crashing. Thank you for always being with us, guiding and directing, loving and protecting and challenging us to grow and bear Fruit. Continue to transform me. Transform your church. Transform the world through your church.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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WE BECOME WHO WE TRUST

Posted on August 6, 2026 by randscallawayffm

We became instant friends in high school.  We first met on the bus. She was new to our school.  Her family moved to Oklahoma City from Louisiana. Our Oklahoma accent did not compare to her deep drawl, southern way of speaking. Renee brought out the best in me and I hope I did that for her.  She was quiet and a bit shy at first but not for long as I introduced her to all my friends and showed her the way around our school.  

A connection brought us closer as friends!  Renee, being from “Cajun country” with the French family name of Charbonne, brought us even closer for we had a French connection!  My grandpa’s family was French and even spoke French in their home when he was a boy.  It was because of him and my adoration of him that I took French in high school.  Renee, at the insistence of her family also took the same French language classes with me.  We practiced our French lessons together and with the help of my grandpa, we learned how to speak the words of this language correctly—minus the southern drawl! 

What I noticed about myself, and I’m smiling now just thinking about it, was the more I was with my good friend, Renee, the more I began to act and speak like her.  I caught myself saying my words with the same southern drawl as my word syllables became more accented and longer—just like Renee!  My family noticed it along with my friends from church.  Then I noticed it!

Psalm 115’s warning makes total sense to me!  It did then and it does now.  We naturally, without even thinking about it, develop similar characteristics of those who we trust, confide in and love being with the most. When we are not with them, we are planning the next time we meet!   This isn’t a phenomenon; it’s just fact.  However, when we cherish our things and admire people as life itself while putting God aside as a mere “placeholder”; it becomes a form of idol worship!  Trouble is on the horizon when we put all our trust in things or humans in ways that block our view of God. It is then that those things and people become the idols of our affection and attention.

God created within us a need to belong—because we belong to Him!  We belong to Him who created us in His own image.  We need Him who created us to help us be more like Him in every way.  God gives us His power to transform when we surrender to His will because of our complete love for Him, knowing He has our best interests at heart and wants the very best for us.  God does for us what no man or women, family member, or intimate friends can provide—salvation with eternal life!  Because of Jesus, we can approach God with confidence. His most important commandments to us come in a specific order. 1. Love God. 2. Love Others like God loves us!  God first and always. We don’t know love until we know God and are in relationship with God through Jesus our Lord!

My great relationship with Renee as a young adult in high school was provided by our God who we both believed and trusted on “account of His merciful love and faithful ways”.  To God be the glory!  As we grew in our relationship with each other; we grew in our relationship with God.  Because God was, is, and always will be the most important relationship of all; we learned to become more like Him in every way.

Psalm 115, The Message


1-2 Not for our sake, God, no, not for our sake,
    but for your name’s sake, show your glory.
Do it on account of your merciful love,
    do it on account of your faithful ways.
Do it so none of the nations can say,
    “Where now, oh where is their God?”

3-8 Our God is in heaven
    doing whatever he wants to do.
Their gods are metal and wood,
    handmade in a basement shop:
Carved mouths that can’t talk,
    painted eyes that can’t see,
Tin ears that can’t hear,
    molded noses that can’t smell,
Hands that can’t grasp, feet that can’t walk or run,
    throats that never utter a sound.
Those who make them have become just like them,
    have become just like the gods they trust.

9-11 But you, Israel: put your trust in God!
    —trust your Helper! trust your Ruler!
Clan of Aaron, trust in God!
    —trust your Helper! trust your Ruler!
You who fear God, trust in God!
    —trust your Helper! trust your Ruler!

12-16 O God, remember us and bless us,
    bless the families of Israel and Aaron.
And let God bless all who fear God—
    bless the small, bless the great.
Oh, let God enlarge your families—
    giving growth to you, growth to your children.
May you be blessed by God,
    by God, who made heaven and earth.
The heaven of heavens is for God,
    but he put us in charge of the earth.

17-18 Dead people can’t praise God—
    not a word to be heard from those buried in the ground.
But we bless God, oh yes—
    we bless him now, we bless him always!
Hallelujah!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“I am the Lord, Your God. You will have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20

Friends we admire can easily become our idols.  Don’t let your friends become your idols of worship.  They can’t handle the pressure of this dysfunctional way of relationship and we sin against God when we idolize them. (That includes pastors and leaders!)

Things and/or people who stand between God and us and block our view of God, hindering us in our efforts to become more like Him has been brought to us by our sponsor who is the earthly prince of evil.  Don’t fall for it.  Avoid idols of any kind at all costs or it will cost us our very lives.  “Dead people can’t praise God”.  Come alive in Christ who is Life eternal!

May all response with praise to God because He first loved us and we now love Him back in a growing intimate relationship with desire to become like Him who made us!

May we worship God for He alone is worthy of our praise!

May we respond by offering ourselves in surrender to His will and not our own.  There is no one like our God. There is no one I would rather be like than our God!

Lord,

Cleanse our hearts, remove all the “idols” that are taking up space. Renew our minds, shift our thinking from earthbound to Kingdom of heaven thoughts. Refresh our souls with your new tender mercies for today that gives us confidence of you in us and us in you. Continually restore and replenish the joy and peace of your salvation at work within us.  To you be all the glory, honor, and praise!  Hallelujah! 

In Jesus Name, Amen 

I believe.  I’m listening for I am yours. Lead me, Lord.

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THE GOD OF JACOB AND OUR GOD—SAME GOD!

Posted on August 5, 2026 by randscallawayffm

We read the Bible passages in the Old Testament that proclaim how mighty God was, is, and is to come.  We read the stories of miraculous power and faithful compassions of God from Adam to David. We worship God through the Psalms of David and learn the wisdom of Solomon jotted down in Proverbs.  All these words of worship, prayer, praise, and wisdom come from the same God who Jacob wrestled and finally surrendered to in the desert.  The same God is waiting on our surrender. 

From the line of David we read of the generations who followed who fulfilled God’s prophecies proclaimed by His prophets of a child to be born humbly to a young couple in Bethlehem.  Not just any couple but two people from the line of David, Mary and Joseph, who were fully devoted to God.  It was the God of Jacob they worshiped, awesomely feared, and wholly followed.  God is the same God who is with us always and the One we worship today. 

Can we just pause before reading and meditating on our Psalm to let this truth soak into our minds that struggle to stay focused in a busy world that tries to distract us minute by minute with its demanding attention?  Can we pause to “Be still and know that I AM God”, God asks for our good. Be still and know God.  Be still and let everything else go to focus on the God who was, is, and is to come!  Be still.  Be one with the God of Jacob.  Just Be.

Psalm 114, The Message


1-8 After Israel left Egypt,
    the clan of Jacob left those barbarians behind;
Judah became holy land for him,
    Israel the place of holy rule.
Sea took one look and ran the other way;
    River Jordan turned around and ran off.
The mountains turned playful and skipped like rams,
    the hills frolicked like spring lambs.
What’s wrong with you, Sea, that you ran away?
    and you, River Jordan, that you turned and ran off?
And mountains, why did you skip like rams?
    and you, hills, frolic like spring lambs?
Tremble, Earth! You’re in the Lord’s presence!
    in the presence of Jacob’s God.
He turned the rock into a pool of cool water,
    turned flint into fresh spring water.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn that there is no one like our God who can move mountains and change the course of rivers.  God is the same; He never changes in his love and care for His created.  There is no one like our God who miraculously brings life to dead men walking and women who are broken by life.  He gives help to the poor and makes a way for orphans to have a forever home.  God stills calls, sends, equips, provides, and protects armies of believers to be His hands and feet in a broken world.

With God, everything is impossible.  Without God…yikes, I don’t want to think about it, because we see nothing but misery in the eyes of those who have turned away from Him. 

Paul took the command of Jesus who commissioned His disciples to heart.  Remember the Great Commission?  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”—Jesus, Matthew 28:18-20

Paul writes to the Corinthian church of this great commission with ways to accomplish the call as Chris’s love compels us…It is the Ministry of Reconciliation;

“ Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

So, our response is to not only see those without God but to do something about it!  ALL believers are called to reconcile those without God to God! We cannot save them, only Jesus saves them.  Our part is to point people to the One who saves and reconciles us to God once and for all!

It is not God’s desire that anyone perish. There is no human on earth that God does not love.  So, we are to love—like God loves us who sent His One and Only Son to reconcile us to Him! 

“Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.” 2 Peter 3:9, MSG

Peter’s words were a response to the people in the early church who wondered why Jesus had not returned yet. The letter explains that God is giving people more time to change.  Can you imagine God in heaven, leaning over to Jesus to say—“Just one more, wait, just one more…”?  That one more could be our child, sister, brother, neighbor, cashier, student, teacher…that “one more” for me this morning was with the woman who cut my hair! 

Don’t get shy for all the power comes from God’s Holy Spirit speaking through us with truth in words that are understandable—no matter the circumstance!

“When they drag you into their meeting places, or into police courts and before judges, don’t worry about defending yourselves—what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes.”—Jesus, Luke 12-11-12

The same God who helped Abraham, Issaac, and Jacob is the SAME God who speaks to us today.  Sigh, breathe in His Spirit.

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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I WILL SING OF MY REDEEMER

Posted on August 4, 2026 by randscallawayffm

As we read Psalm 113 both in NIV and The Message, many past and current melodies of praise are bombarding my mind!  In the melodies are memories of the saints of God who went before me in singing to the Redeemer of our souls.  I hear the bass and tenor of my dad and my uncle in the repeats of the refrains. I hear the melodies strongly played on the piano by my aunt with harmonies of alto strongly sang by my mom.  I hear the congregation joining them in praise like a heavenly choir.  All sang, no matter their abilities, as none of us were afraid or timid to make a joyful noise before the Lord!  When people sing of their Redeemer from their hearts; division diminishes and pure worship takes over.  God likes it that way. 

The Psalmists knew it and we know it.  Let’s just praise the Lord today, right where you are!  Listen as God puts rainbows of melodies in your hearts, too, as we praise Him.  This is my prayer for all who are reading this today.

I will sing of my Redeemer,
  And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
  From the curse to set me free.

 Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer,
  With His blood He purchased me,
On the cross He sealed my pardon,
    Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,
  How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
  He the ransom freely gave.

I will praise my dear Redeemer,
  His triumphant pow’r I’ll tell,
How the victory He giveth
  Over sin, and death, and hell.

I will sing of my Redeemer,
  And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
  Son of God with Him to be.

(Lyrics: Philip Paul Bliss, 1838-1876, Music: James McGranahan, 1840-1907)

Psalm 113, The Message

3 Hallelujah!
You who serve God, praise God!
    Just to speak his name is praise!
Just to remember God is a blessing—
now and tomorrow and always.
From east to west, from dawn to dusk,
    keep lifting all your praises to God!

4-9 God is higher than anything and anyone,
    outshining everything you can see in the skies.
Who can compare with God, our God,
    so majestically enthroned,
Surveying his magnificent
    heavens and earth?

He picks up the poor from out of the dirt,
    rescues the forgotten who’ve been thrown out with the trash,
Seats them among the honored guests,
    a place of honor among the brightest and best.
He gives childless couples a family,
    gives them joy as the parents of children.
Hallelujah!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn to praise God no matter our current circumstances.  Praising God gives Life to our souls!  When our hearts praise God our focus shifts from self and the Enemy and his demons who never ceases to distract us from God back to God.  In fact, the Enemy hates and flees from those who are engrossed in pure praise to our God!  His powers are limited when we praise God!  (Read that again!)

When we are fully focused on our praise at church instead of wondering if we turned the oven down on the Sunday meal or if others in the congregation are singing loud and strong enough; we glorify our God!  The Enemy of God is full of hate for God and hates our posture of praise and thanksgiving before God!  When we call on the Name of Jesus, our Enemy literally trembles!  Satan and his demon army knows Jesus well, knew Him before we knew Him!  Satan also knows the war has already been won by Jesus, but He will cause troubles until Jesus comes back on That Day to claim His own.  How do we know?  The Bible tells us so:

Take a moment and look at these verses:

  • James 2:19: States that demons believe God is one and shudder or tremble in fear.
  • Luke 10:17: The disciples return with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
  • Philippians 2:10-11: Every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, at the name of Jesus.  (God proclaimed this about Jesus)
  • Acts 16:18: Paul casts a spirit out of a woman by commanding it in the name of Jesus Christ. There is POWER in the name of Jesus!  And yes, this is another song of praise to our Lord!

But what is most important to think about is when our focus is continually on praising God; all the dark things and troublesome unbelievers of this world suddenly do indeed fall into the background of our thoughts. When we praise God with surrendered, pure hearts and focused minds on Him—there is no space left to worry about anything or anyone else!  Praise brings out the best in us as we glorify our God! God does not need our praise and adoration; we need to praise Him because our praise is good for us as it centers our beings on the One who created us in His own image, died and rose again to save us from our own self-centeredness!  Ah, there it is…the sin of self.

Yes, God knows exactly what we need—always!  And what we need most is to praise the One who knows us more than we know ourselves.  That’s probably why His first commandment is “I am the Lord your God… You shall have no other gods before me”, (Exodus 20:2) All other gods distract, deceive, cause division, with attempts to deconstruct our faith in the one true God who is active and alive today and desires His best for all who come before Him!  Guess what, self-centered us is the worst god of all to follow.  Worship God alone.

Max Lucado comments;

The next six psalms were used during the Passover, the Festival of Tabernacles, and other traditional Jewish festivals. Although the Israelites set aside one day a week to revere God, they used Scripture to encourage one another to have a thankful, loving attitude toward God.

Make no mistake. God has no ego problem. He does not reveal his glory for his good. We need to witness it for ours. We need a strong hand to pull us into a safe boat. And, once aboard, what becomes our priority?

Simple. Promote God. We declare his preeminence, “Hey! Strong boat over here! Able pilot! He can pull you out!”

Passengers promote the pilot. “Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness” (115:1). If we boast at all, we “boast in the Lord” (2Co 10:17).

The breath you took as you read that last sentence was given to you for one reason, that you might for another moment mirror the glory of the Lord (see 2Co 3:18). God awoke you and me this morning for one purpose: “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples” (1Ch 16:24).

“For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever!” (Ro 11:36). “There is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live” (1Co 8:6, emphasis added).

Why does the earth spin? For him.

Why do you have talents and abilities? For him.

Why do you have money or poverty? For him.

Strength or struggles? For him.

Everything and everyone exists to reveal his glory.

Including you.

Learn to continually praise God. Praise God while you do dishes and while you drive your car. Fill everyday moments with praise.

Lord,

I praise you and thank you for this psalm that prompted so many thoughts of YOU!  I am praising now and forever in all that I think, say, and do for you alone are God, Savior, and Lord.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I praise You from whom all blessings flow freely and forever!  To You be all glory, honor, and praise!

In Jesus Name, Amen

I’m yours and I’m listening with a ready heart to trust and obey for there’s no other Way…

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BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS UNFAZED, SPIRIT FIRM!

Posted on August 3, 2026 by randscallawayffm

We have said before and we will say it again with the Psalmist and others inspired to write truth—With God, everything.  Without God, nothing.  Blessed is the man and woman who revere God and cherish what He says.  When darkness comes, blessed people who truly believe God, wait for the morning sunrise to bring a new perspective to troubles in the light of day.  “Let the morning bring Word of your unfailing love; for all my trust is in you.” (Psalm 143—Read all of it to be greatly blessed within!)

I love Psalm 112 that describes our intimate relationship with God with all the healthy details that indicate and define our growth in Him.  Blessed does not mean temporary happiness with all things going our way.  To be blessed is having and holding on to the eternal connection and communion with a God we cannot see but have total trust in by our surrender to His will.  Being blessed does not mean God is our benefactor of all we want upon demand; Being blessed means God is the One and Only we trust for all we need.  And what a blessed thought it is to let go and let God for it relieves us of the load we carry unnecessarily to a God who knows what we need before we do and provides at just the right time!  Blessed is the man, woman and child who do not worry but rely completely on our Lord and Savior.  Blessed are we who know and relish His promises as well as His commandments that keep us always moving forward on the path to Him daily—no matter the outlaying circumstances that pop up on our journey.  God can handle all that comes along for He is Sovereign.

Yes, complete surrender to God is a blessed state of mind. 

Psalm 112, The Message

1-10 Hallelujah!
Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright—how blessed!

Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people—
God’s grace and mercy and justice!

The good person is generous and lends lavishly;
No shuffling or stumbling around for this one,
But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation.
Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,



They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,
Blusters away but ends up speechless.
There’s nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God is supreme example of generosity. 

 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  John 3:16-17

God gave us His Son so that we could be reconciled (reconnected) to God forever—sin is removed to be remembered no more. There is nothing God will not forgive so that is no excuse for those who think with pride in their hearts that their sin too much for God to handle.  Have you read the Bible at all, we know from His Word that God is grieved by our sin but because His love is greater than our sin—He made a Way, the One and Only Way to remove it by the cleansing blood of His One and Only Son, once and for all.  Truth.  Whether we believe this or not—it is still Truth.

By God’s example and with His growing love within all who surrender; we desire to be like the One we adore in awe—So we give—generously to all in need.  We don’t seek to be God; we seek to be like God in His character and His chief characteristic is Generosity.  How generous are we?  How generous am I?  Pause to reflect prayerfully.

Blessed is the one who is generous, knowing that we can never outgive God! Generosity is a beautiful trait to see men and women created in the image of God Himself.  Blessed are those who have surrendered their lives committedly to His care and keeping.  Generosity is an outpouring of a heart surrendered to Jesus.

The best part of the blessings is so aptly described in The Message by Eugene Peterson;

Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,
They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!

With God, everything. Without God, nothing.  Blessed versus cursed.

There is nothing to the dreams of the wicked—absolutely nothing.

Could this be what Jesus was trying to get all people to understand when he preached to thousands on the Mountain top that day?  (Matthew 5-7)  I think we are getting closer… 😉

Lord,

Thank you for always pointing out vividly the difference between walking humbly with you with a spirit firm, blessed state of mind and walking aimlessly in the world without you.  Cleanse our hearts, remove all that does not belong in them.  Renew our minds which transforms all we think, say, and do. Refresh our souls with your new tender mercies for today. And restore continually the joy and peace of your salvation at work with us to be all you created us to be.  I’m yours.  I’m listening, heart ready.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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OUR PERSONAL GOD

Posted on August 1, 2026 by randscallawayffm

Our God truly is a personal, intimately close God who knows everything about us, knows everything we know about Him, and loves with a love that is eternal, faithful and forever!  He isn’t concerned with how far we have come in our relationship with Him; what He does care about is each one’s commitment to keep believing and following Him whether we have been walking with Him for years or have just begun.  God is patient and kind. God is compassionate.  God is not watching to see if we fail so he can punish us; God is compassionately hovering over us with power to help us get back up again with His outstretched arm to pull us closer to Him!

God love is the same for each one of us. God shows no favorites.  We do not earn His love—God just loves.  We cannot buy His love—God is not for sale.  By His grace and mercy; God loves.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 Read for wisdom and understanding so we can engage in the fullness of God’s love for us!

In those times, when we come close to becoming haughty or proud of how we  walk with Him while looking down on others who are toddling in their walk; pause to look inward, for our attitudes need adjusting and hearts softened.  Real wisdom, as this psalm proclaims at the end, is knowing who God is and what He does.  If a fearful awe of our God does not consume us as we stand before Him in prayer this morning then ask God what He wants from us. He will answer for our God is real, active, alive, always at work within us, and desires our love more than our performance of His love.  Yes, there is a difference.

Psalm 111, The Message

1-10 Hallelujah!
I give thanks to God with everything I’ve got—
Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.

God’s works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
Splendor and beauty mark his craft;

His generosity never gives out.
His miracles are his memorial—
This God of Grace, this God of Love.

He gave food to those who fear him,
He remembered to keep his ancient promise.

He proved to his people that he could do what he said:
Hand them the nations on a platter—a gift!

He manufactures truth and justice;
All his products are guaranteed to last—
Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof.
All that he makes and does is honest and true:

He paid the ransom for his people,
He ordered his Covenant kept forever.

He’s so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.
The good life begins in the fear of God—
Do that and you’ll know the blessing of God.
His Hallelujah lasts forever!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Lord,

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into temptations to be proud but instead lead us to have hearts of trust and obedience to Your will as we walk humbly with you. Cleanse our hearts, remove all that does not belong. Renew our minds, transform what we think and how we respond to you and others, refresh our souls and fill them with Your Word of Truth. Restore the joy of your salvation continually at work within us.  Thank you for doing it again, and again, and again until we see you face to face in all your glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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KING-MAKER PUT HIS KING ON THE THRONE FOREVER!

Posted on July 31, 2026 by randscallawayffm

Psalm 110 gives us a glimpse into the powerful reign of the coming Messiah. Our next two Psalms will begin with “Praise the LORD.”  King David, the writer of this psalm is foretelling to the King of kings and LORD of lords while describing God’s good works, justice, righteousness, mercy, and compassion toward his people.

May we who truly believe God and all that God says, rejoice and be glad for all He has done, is doing and will do in our lives!  But most of all we must humbly praise God for who He is—the One and Only God who loves us forever.  Our response to God is to love Him back then love each other with all His love within us!

Life here may be unfair for us even right now with many unanswered questions floating on the horizon on our minds; but God’s ability with His Plan to redeem us through His Son, Jesus has been answered for all who believe Him!  I pray for all who are reading this to pause, reflect, and prayerfully settle the issue of salvation forever, once and for all times, right now!  I’m praying for you as you pray for me! 

Now, let us read what David wrote—about Jesus, who is to come, as our Messiah—the God who saves and be blessed by the reading and promise of Jesus!

Psalm 110, The Message

Of David. A psalm.

1-3 The word of God to my Lord:
    “Sit alongside me here on my throne
    until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.”
You were forged a strong scepter by God of Zion;
    now rule, though surrounded by enemies!
Your people will freely join you, resplendent in holy armor
    on the great day of your conquest,
Join you at the fresh break of day,
    join you with all the vigor of youth.

4-7 God gave his word and he won’t take it back:
    you’re the permanent priest, the Melchizedek priest.
The Lord stands true at your side,
    crushing kings in his terrible wrath,
Bringing judgment on the nations,
    handing out convictions wholesale,
    crushing opposition across the wide earth.
The King-Maker put his King on the throne;
    the True King rules with head held high!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn from Warren Wiersbe, Bible Scholar;

This psalm is quoted or alluded to in the New Testament more than any other psalm. Verse 1 is referenced at least twenty-five times and verse 4 another five times. Ten of these quotations or allusions are in the book of Hebrews alone. Jesus used verse 1 to prove His deity and silence the Pharisees (Matt. 22:41–46) and also to answer the high priest during His trial (Matt. 26:64). The psalm presents two pictures of Messiah from the past—His exaltation as King (Ps. 110:1–3) and His consecration as Priest (v. 4)—and a third picture from the future: His victory over the enemies of God (vv. 5–7).         —Wiersbe Study Bible

So, let us parallel this psalm with Paul’s inspired writing to the Philippian church of who Jesus is;

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:1-11

Need more proof of Jesus as God’s plan from the beginning to save us?  Jump to the end of His Story as God reveals the final acts of His forever plan to redeem all who believe;

“Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” Revelation 19:9-10

John continues;

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING of kings and LORD of lords.” Revelation 19:11-16

ICYMI—Jesus Christ is King forever! Jesus is God in the flesh who came down from His throne with God to heal, teach truth, suffer to save us from our sin, then rose again to prepare our new home with Him.  This Jesus is the Answer we all seek when life here overwhelms us with foolishness. 

Our response is crucial to how we will spend eternity.

We have a choice to believe or not.  Be wise, believe Jesus, repent before Him, and receive salvation.  Humbly walk with God in a new relationship with His Holy Spirit guiding all we think, say, and do so that His glory will be seen in us!  This is the gift of salvation offered now that lasts forever from the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Lord,

I choose you. I love you because you first loved me. Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, transform our conformity of this world to stand firm in growing our new relationship with you that gives life eternal. Refresh our hungry and thirsty souls with your Truth.  Restore the joy and peace of our salvation at work within us continually as we become more like you—our God, our King of kings and Lord of lords!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  May all who read this give you glory! 

In Jesus Name, Amen

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WHEN DARKNESS CHANGES OUR PERCEPTION

Posted on July 31, 2026 by randscallawayffm

Nobody likes me
Everybody hates me
Guess I’ll go eat worms
Big, fat, juicy ones
Long, thin, slimey ones
Itsy bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms

Down goes the first one
Down goes the second one
Oh, how they wiggle and squirm!
Big, fat, juicy ones
Long, thin, slimey ones
Itsy bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms

Up comes the first one
Up comes the second one
Oh, how they wiggle and squirm!
Big, fat, juicy ones
Long, thin, slimey ones
Itsy bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms
Nobody likes me
Everybody hates me
Guess I’ll go eat worms!

Source: Musixmatch, Songwriters: Willie White, Nobody Likes Me (Think I’ll Go Eat Worms) lyrics © Swing Beat Songs, Ole Purple Cape Music, Chicken Baby Songs, Clean Up Your Office Songs

What an awesome child’s song, right?!  Maybe I’m making light of David’s predicament with his enemies; but it seems David is demanding that God take care of those who hate him.  David also outlines vividly what should be done to his enemies who no longer respect him! David is down, perplexed, betrayed, confused, so he honestly goes before God to see what He can do for him.  It is okay to be honest before God for God knows what is in our hearts before we speak a word, but it is not okay to dwell in the darkness when we think God is not acting on our behalf in the ways we think He should at the right time. 

God is sovereign and knows exactly what we need when we need it most.  And one more thought, God might be transforming us in a circumstance that we cannot change.  I’ve seen, heard, and experienced this with myself! 

Instead of “eating worms” of worry that self-implodes our inner peace with God or reacting with self-destructive tactics of revenge because of fear and disappointment of not being liked and revered by all.  Instead, let us look up to our God and shower Him with thanks for always being with us, protecting and providing for us, while remembering all the ways He has rescued us in the past and present.  May our hearts be emptied of bitterness as we leave the warzone of hate to be filled with the love of God who knows no bounds in His love for us. 

May we cry out for wisdom but close our prayers as Jesus did; May your will, not mine, be done.  Jesus demonstrated how we need to respond to those who hate, slander, abuse, lie with efforts to kill our reputations with his entire life on earth.  While others accused falsely; He was silent.  Jesus put others interest ahead of his own.  He laid down His equality with God to walk in human skin so others could see, hear, touch, the living God. How deep the Father’s love for us…

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.


1-5 My God, don’t turn a deaf ear to my hallelujah prayer.
    Liars are pouring out invective on me;
Their lying tongues are like a pack of dogs out to get me,
    barking their hate, nipping my heels—and for no reason!
I loved them and now they slander me—yes, me!—
    and treat my prayer like a crime;
They return my good with evil,
    they return my love with hate.

6-20 Send the Evil One to accuse my accusing judge;
    dispatch Satan to prosecute him.
When he’s judged, let the verdict be “Guilty,”
    and when he prays, let his prayer turn to sin.
Give him a short life,
    and give his job to somebody else.
Make orphans of his children,
    dress his wife in widow’s black;
Turn his children into begging street urchins,
    evicted from their homes—homeless.
May the bank foreclose and wipe him out,
    and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean.
May there be no one around to help him out,
    no one willing to give his orphans a break.
Chop down his family tree
    so that nobody even remembers his name.
But erect a memorial to the sin of his father,
    and make sure his mother’s name is there, too—
Their sins recorded forever before God,
    but they themselves sunk in oblivion.
That’s all he deserves since he was never once kind,
    hounded the afflicted and heartbroken to their graves.

Since he loved cursing so much,
    let curses rain down;
Since he had no taste for blessing,
    let blessings flee far from him.
He dressed up in curses like a fine suit of clothes;
    he drank curses, took his baths in curses.
So give him a gift—a costume of curses;
    he can wear curses every day of the week!
That’s what they’ll get, those out to get me—
    an avalanche of just deserts from God.

21-25 Oh, God, my Lord, step in;
    work a miracle for me—you can do it!
Get me out of here—your love is so great!—
    I’m at the end of my rope, my life in ruins.
I’m fading away to nothing, passing away,
    my youth gone, old before my time.
I’m weak from hunger and can hardly stand up,
    my body a rack of skin and bones.
I’m a joke in poor taste to those who see me;
    they take one look and shake their heads.

26-29 Help me, oh help me, God, my God,
    save me through your wonderful love;
Then they’ll know that your hand is in this,
    that you, God, have been at work.
Let them curse all they want;
    you do the blessing.
Let them be jeered by the crowd when they stand up,
    followed by cheers for me, your servant.
Dress my accusers in clothes dirty with shame,
    discarded and humiliating old ragbag clothes.

30-31 My mouth’s full of great praise for God,
    I’m singing his hallelujahs surrounded by crowds,
For he’s always at hand to take the side of the needy,
    to rescue a life from the unjust judge.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn from Bible scholars that David’s enemies hated him so they falsely accused cursed him (v. 17–19). David’s attempts to return good for evil failed, and the wicked showed him no mercy.  So, David responds by taking his case to God.  But David felt God was not listening as quickly as he thought He should.

Often, we cry out to Him but nothing seems to happen—we think. How do we respond when God does not act as quickly as we think he should?  David reminded the Lord that he did not pray only when he needed help, for he praised the Lord often and thanked Him for His mercies.  But, bargaining with God or telling him how good we are is not the way to God. 

Warren Wiersbe writes with another viewpoint to consider;

God was silent but the enemy was vocal, speaking hateful, lying words and accusing David of crimes he had never committed. The word translated “accusers” (vv. 6, 20, 29), or sometimes “adversaries,” gives us the English word “Satan,” one of the names of the Devil (see 38:20; 71:13; Job 1–2; Zech. 3). Satan is the accuser (Rev. 12:10) and the adversary of believers (1 Pet. 5:8), and he uses people to accomplish this work.”—Wiersbe Study Bible

David’s enemies were unfairly asking God to crush him. In response, David simply asked God to settle the issue and turn his enemies’ curses and plans back on their own heads. Years later, the prophet Jeremiah prayed a similar prayer against the enemies who wanted to kill him (Jer. 18:18–23), and the Lord did not rebuke him.  God knows what is going on and though our trial may not turn out as we expect; God will rescue us from the judgements of others.

At the end of David’s lament; we learn a lesson in humbly ourselves before God when we feel unfairly accused in circumstances out of our control.  As a faithful son of the covenant, David had a right to ask God for the help he needed. His desire was that God might be glorified by showing mercy to His servant. He wanted God to do some wonderful thing that only He could do so his enemies would know that Jehovah was fighting David’s battles. Like David, we can cry out to God for help.  Always.

Avoid eating worms and wait on God!

Finally, David promised to praise the Lord and give glory to Him when all these trials were ended, and he did. After David had been made king over all Israel, he brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem and sought to honor the Lord (2 Samuel 5–6). God did help David, in His own time and His own way.  God will do it again and again for us!

Lord,

Thank you for conviction and correction as we seek you this morning through communion and reading your Word. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for always leading us to truth. Thank you, Jesus for saving our souls and making us whole. Cleanse our hearts, remove what does not belong. Renew our minds, transform our thinking. Refresh our souls with your new mercies for today and restore the joy and peace of your salvation at work within us.  To you be the glory, honor, and praise!  May Your Will be done in all the details of our lives today and always.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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WITH GOD—WE GAIN!

Posted on July 29, 2026 by randscallawayffm

Each morning, I read the psalm of the day from the New International Version first; then I turn to the Message paraphrase from Eugene Peterson, Bible Scholar and pastor who put the songs of David, Asaph, and others into the language of his congregation so that could use the words for easy praise and pray.  It is not lost on us that David, the shepherd boy who became the anointed King of Israel, went before God before going to battle!  David knew God personally and was known far and wide as a man who ran after the heart of God, as scriptures say.  David knew this truth; that with God, he would gain victory over the enemy who sought to destroy God’s people. 

How well do we know God personally?  Do we have the blessed assurance that David demonstrated before battling the enemies of God?  Do we begin each day going before Him, seeking His wisdom, standing on His promises, with surrender to His will?  Do we seek God’s wisdom for battle as we put on our weapons of power from God as protection from the “chief among liars”?  Satan, the fallen angel, is God’s Number One Enemy with limited power, but enough power with an army of demons who seek to distract us from God with deceptive thinking about God with the sole purpose to dissolve our faith in our Almighty God.  God sent Jesus to battle this annoying enemy of our souls once and for all and has already won the war against him.  The cross did not defeat Jesus, for God raised His Son from death to life, scars and all, so He could walk among the disciples for forty more days on earth to prove God’s victory over death! This is amazing power, love, mercy, and grace! 

Yes, there is no one greater than our God!  There is no one who loves like He loves us. There is no one, not even Satan, who can defeat God for God has already won the battle with his fallen angel from heaven.  But as you know, as we still live in our imperfect, fallen world, because of Adam and Eve’s sin; the first humans who fell for the deceptive practices of our enemy.  Satan tenaciously continues to cause troubles in this life among God’s created humans.  Satan’s desire is to destroy our faith, deceive with what looks like God but is not, while causing division among God’s people with efforts to take our souls committed to God in daily skirmishes in a battle already won. Inspired by God and saved by the blood of Jesus, the Apostle Paul reminded the faithfully committed;

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”—Ephesians 6:12 

Jesus promises to be with us always in all the details of this life on earth with an ironclad promise to be the One and Only who redeems all who believe and who is the Only way to God.  Just before allowing Himself to be arrested, rebuked and accused by the religious, spit on by Roman guards, and whipped beyond recognition before going to the cross to be crucified in shame among sinners; Jesus tells his followers they will have peace in him, face trouble in the world, but to take courage because he has won the victory.

Jesus, Son of Man, knew pain and suffering.  Jesus, Son of God, also knew that everything that happens on earth is merely a moment in the battle to redeem us from our sins and gain life eternally with God.  With God—We gain! Jesus is the Victor who overcomes the world!  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”—Jesus, John 16:33

Psalm 108, The Message

A song. A psalm of David.

1-2 I’m ready, God, so ready,
    ready from head to toe.
Ready to sing,
    ready to raise a God-song:
“Wake, soul! Wake, lute!
    Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”

3-6 I’m thanking you, God, out in the streets,
    singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
    every cloud’s a flag to your faithfulness.
Soar high in the skies, O God!
    Cover the whole earth with your glory!
And for the sake of the one you love so much,
    reach down and help me—answer me!

7-9 That’s when God spoke in holy splendor:
    “Brimming over with joy,
I make a present of Shechem,
    I hand out Succoth Valley as a gift.
Gilead’s in my pocket,
    to say nothing of Manasseh.
Ephraim’s my hard hat,
    Judah my hammer.
Moab’s a scrub bucket—
    I mop the floor with Moab,
Spit on Edom,
    rain fireworks all over Philistia.”

10-11 Who will take me to the thick of the fight?
    Who’ll show me the road to Edom?
You aren’t giving up on us, are you, God?
    refusing to go out with our troops?

12-13 Give us help for the hard task;
    human help is worthless.
In God we’ll do our very best;
    he’ll flatten the opposition for good.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn that we are in a daily battle for our souls by a powerful opponent.  We respond to the battle by realizing first that the war has already been won by Jesus Christ, Redeemer, Savior and Lord of our lives who has all power! 

We learn that we will deal with daily skirmishes with our number one enemy who needles our thoughts with nothing but evil to make us fall forever.  We respond like Jesus did when tempted in the desert; with the Truth of God’s Word!  For With God—We gain! 

We learn we need help!  We cannot do life without God’s Holy Spirit power living in us!  God gives all we need to combat our enemy, Satan.  We respond by listening, trusting, and obeying by putting on our spiritual armor, surrendering to God’s will and power to overcome, and all the while praying for each other with faith in God with His love flowing from us. With faith, we relax.  For Jesus has and will overcome the enemy.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:13-18

Consider this—

As soon as Jesus told his disciples to relax with His peace with the promise, “I have overcome the world”, Jesus prayed for them!  How powerful it is when Jesus stands in the gap for His redeemed before God!  Jesus stands in the gap between earth and heaven for us as our Advocate!  Let that truth settle in our minds today!  We cannot lose!

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. —Jesus, John 17:1-5

At this point, I can only worship with the psalmist with a choruses of my youth;

In my life, Lord, be gloried

Be glorified

In my life, Lord, be gloried today…

(Words and music by Bob Kilpatrick)

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior

Standing, standing—I’m standing on the promises of God!

(Composed by Russell Carter, 1886)

Lord,

The psalms of David, imagining sung by him with others in worship to you ignites our hearts, minds, and souls today!  I’m yours.  I’m standing on your promises.  Thank you for your love and care. Thank you for troubles that teach us while giving us victory!  You are God—we are not. To you be all the glory, honor, and praise forever!  With You—We gain life forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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PAUSE TO PONDER AND APPRECIATE GOD!

Posted on July 28, 2026 by randscallawayffm

So often, we take life for granted.  Here’s some advice; Stop it! This holy advice is not from me but from our Psalmist this morning! Pause right now with me in surrender with humbled praise and appreciation for our God who never leaves us, goes before us, stands beside us, and has our backs through good times and bad times!  Thank God—he’s so good!” the Psalmist begins, “His love never runs out.” That truth alone should cause us to pause and just give Him praise and thanksgiving with all that is in us!  Lord there’s no one or nothing better than you!

Psalm 107, The Message


1-3 Oh, thank God—he’s so good!
    His love never runs out.
All of you set free by God, tell the world!
    Tell how he freed you from oppression,
Then rounded you up from all over the place,
    from the four winds, from the seven seas.

4-9 Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
    looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
    staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
    He got you out in the nick of time;
He put your feet on a wonderful road
    that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
He poured great drafts of water down parched throats;
    the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.

10-16 Some of you were locked in a dark cell,
    cruelly confined behind bars,
Punished for defying God’s Word,
    for turning your back on the High God’s counsel—
A hard sentence, and your hearts so heavy,
    and not a soul in sight to help.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
    he got you out in the nick of time.
He led you out of your dark, dark cell,
    broke open the jail and led you out.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
He shattered the heavy jailhouse doors,
    he snapped the prison bars like matchsticks!

17-22 Some of you were sick because you’d lived a bad life,
    your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;
You couldn’t stand the sight of food,
    so miserable you thought you’d be better off dead.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
    he got you out in the nick of time.
He spoke the word that healed you,
    that pulled you back from the brink of death.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
    tell the world what he’s done—sing it out!

23-32 Some of you set sail in big ships;
    you put to sea to do business in faraway ports.

Out at sea you saw God in action,
    saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean:
With a word he called up the wind—
    an ocean storm, towering waves!
You shot high in the sky, then the bottom dropped out;
    your hearts were stuck in your throats.
You were spun like a top, you reeled like a drunk,
    you didn’t know which end was up.

Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
    he got you out in the nick of time.
He quieted the wind down to a whisper,
    put a muzzle on all the big waves.
And you were so glad when the storm died down,
    and he led you safely back to harbor.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
Lift high your praises when the people assemble,
    shout Hallelujah when the elders meet!

33-41 God turned rivers into wasteland,
    springs of water into sunbaked mud;
Luscious orchards became alkali flats
    because of the evil of the people who lived there.
Then he changed wasteland into fresh pools of water,
    arid earth into springs of water,
Brought in the hungry and settled them there;
    they moved in—what a great place to live!
They sowed the fields, they planted vineyards,
    they reaped a bountiful harvest.
He blessed them and they prospered greatly;
    their herds of cattle never decreased.
But abuse and evil and trouble declined
    as he heaped scorn on princes and sent them away.
He gave the poor a safe place to live,
    treated their clans like well-cared-for sheep.

42-43 Good people see this and are glad;
    bad people are speechless, stopped in their tracks.
If you are really wise, you’ll think this over—
    it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW WILL WE RESPOND?

We learn daily that God is GOD alone—we are not Him.  We bow down to praise and thank Him right now for all He has done, is doing and will do in each one of our lives.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  Without Him, we are nothing but dust and clanging cymbals in world that is desperate for a Savior!  “If you are really wise, you’ll think this over—it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love.”

Lord, God of Creation,

To you be the glory, honor, and praise! Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for all that you are doing to teach me to humbly walk with you for I need you every hour and every hour You are there! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Yes, and Amen!

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MEMORY LOSS LEADS TO REBELLION

Posted on July 27, 2026 by randscallawayffm

Humanity cries out and prays often, “Lord, remember me—save me!”  In moments of overwhelming struggle when we have attempted to do life alone without God; we use this word “remember” to ask God for favor and help in our dire circumstances that we most times have created for ourselves.  We even add; “Why me, Lord” when faced with perplexing struggles and increased pain while living in this imperfect, unfair, sin-filled world. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”—Jesus, John 16:33

We who believe, know God and benefit from the Goodness of God; but we can also soon forget all He has done and is doing for us when we rebel by going our own way for a while thinking we can handle all of life without Him.  We “follow our noses” to what looks good, smells good, and tastes good like an animal who merely wants what they see as good. Animals will eat disgusting things when unbridled and unsupervised.  I know this because we have a Dachshund with a mind of his own but we care enough to reign him in when danger is seen or heard.  Over time and training, our dog ceases to go where he does not belong.  Mm, is there a lesson here?

Ah, but we humans with brains more advanced than animals have memory losses with untrained minds of God and all He has done for us.  These memory lapses easily lead to rebellion against the Owner of our souls, Creator of our being in His own image, Savior and Deliverer from our sins, and the Lord who leads in the ways we should go for our good and His glory!  We go our own way without God, forgetting that He delights in all the details of our lives and who loves to bless us with more than we deserve.  “Who can proclaim all His acts…?” the Psalmist reminds his readers and singers.

We are so fortunate to have a loving, faithful, patient, and compassionate God who does indeed remember us for we never left His mind when He sacrificed a part of Himself to save us from our sins!  We were on Jesus’ mind when He went to the cross willingly and obediently to sacrifice Himself for our sins. (Read that again.)  He truly could have called ten thousand angels to come to His rescue—but He did not.

God’s memory of who He created us to be and do is perfect in every way.  God has not forgotten us—Remember this truth.  It is also not God’s desire that we perish from His sight.  God desire is to lead us home, with His loving arms around our shoulders in a compassionate embrace where we belong—home is with Him.  There is no one like our God!  “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever” the Psalmist cries out in praise!  REMEMBER all God has done to bring you to where you are today in relationship with Him for this relationship is the most important one we will ever need and have for life! This relationship with God is forever for His love for us does not change.  To remember is to surrender to the One who never forgets and is faithful always.

Psalm 106, The Message

Praise the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

2 Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord
    or fully declare his praise?
3 Blessed are those who act justly,
    who always do what is right.

4 Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people,
    come to my aid when you save them,
5 that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,
    that I may share in the joy of your nation
    and join your inheritance in giving praise.

6 We have sinned, even as our ancestors did;
    we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
7 When our ancestors were in Egypt,
    they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
    and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
    to make his mighty power known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
    he led them through the depths as through a desert.
10 He saved them from the hand of the foe;
    from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
11 The waters covered their adversaries;
    not one of them survived.
12 Then they believed his promises
    and sang his praise.

13 But they soon forgot what he had done
    and did not wait for his plan to unfold.
14 In the desert they gave in to their craving;
    in the wilderness they put God to the test.
15 So he gave them what they asked for,
    but sent a wasting disease among them.

16 In the camp they grew envious of Moses
    and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
    it buried the company of Abiram.


Fire blazed among their followers;
    a flame consumed the wicked.
19 At Horeb they made a calf
    and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
20 They exchanged their glorious God
    for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who saved them,
    who had done great things in Egypt,
22 miracles in the land of Ham
    and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 So he said he would destroy them—
    had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him
    to keep his wrath from destroying them.

24 Then they despised the pleasant land;
    they did not believe his promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents
    and did not obey the Lord.
26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 make their descendants fall among the nations
    and scatter them throughout the lands.

28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
    and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
29 they aroused the Lord’s anger by their wicked deeds,
    and a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was checked.
31 This was credited to him as righteousness
    for endless generations to come.
32 By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord,
    and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
    and rash words came from Moses’ lips.

34 They did not destroy the peoples
    as the Lord had commanded them,
35 but they mingled with the nations
    and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols,
    which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons
    and their daughters to false gods.
38 They shed innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39 They defiled themselves by what they did;
    by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

40 Therefore the Lord was angry with his people
    and abhorred his inheritance.
41 He gave them into the hands of the nations,
    and their foes ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them
    and subjected them to their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
    but they were bent on rebellion
    and they wasted away in their sin.
44 Yet he took note of their distress
    when he heard their cry;
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant
    and out of his great love he relented.
46 He caused all who held them captive
    to show them mercy.

47 Save us, Lord our God,
    and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.

48 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Never, ever forget all that God has done, is doing and will do in our lives as we surrender to His will that is pleasing, perfect, and good in every way.  In the good times, praise His Name.  Even in the bad times, do the same!  God is Good, His love endures forever!

Blessings to Remember

  • Forgiveness: Pardoning of past mistakes and shortcomings.  God forgives.
  • Guidance: Directing your steps through uncertain times. Trust God’s Holy Spirit.
  • Provision: Supplying daily strength, health, and needs. Trust God for it all.
  • Presence: Remaining close when you feel alone. Be still and know God.

Ways to Keep Your Mind Focused

  • Count all the blessings God has given daily in a quiet moment of prayer with a grateful heart.
  • Daily give up our will for His will (Romans 12:1-2) Surrender leads us out of rebellion.
  • Meditate on comforting, convicting, correcting verses that compel and train us to walk humbly with God.
  • Sharing stories of past help from God with others—so they will know God!

Lord,

Thank you for drawing near to us and we draw near to you in surrender.  Teach me Your Word that strengthens my relationship with you.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, transform my being to be more like you in all that I think, say, and do, refresh my souls with your new mercies for today, and restore the joy of your salvation at work within me. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

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